General Comments:

Bought a 1985 FWD wagon with auto trans -- changed the transaxle to an '84 5-speed manual for better power and better fuel economy.

The listed above repairs were performed when the car was 16 years old or more. Otherwise the vehicle has been reliable to a 'T', and never left me at the side of the road. It is not a great long trip car; a light car on struts with smaller wheels and tires is not a recipe for riding smoothly. No electrical problems at all, including all switches in the interior, headlights, park lights, etc. No high amperage wires in the cab to arc, all high amp switching is done in the engine compartment by relays in an easy access bay (Ford could have learned from this system).

Up to 44 MPG (Imperial) and able to cruise on freeways at 120 kph in 5th gear. Amazing torque for 1.5L engine at 120+ kph (hill climbing ability, etc).

I also have a 1987 Tercel 4WD that I license in the winter. I replaced the engine with one from a 1984 4WD, and it purrs like a kitten, and burns no oil. It had 300,000K on it when I swapped it into the '87 4WD, and it still had 160-165 PSI compression. These 4WDs are NOT "All Wheel Drive" vehicles, and 4WD mode can only be used on snowy, wet or gravelly surfaces, and NEVER on bare, dry pavement or asphalt.

Some of the body work is poorer on the 1987-88 Models. Different window channel materials make the windows hard to crank up and down; dome light is prone to failure because of non-copper circuits. Otherwise the motors, transaxle, etc are of the same great quality as the earlier models. The later bodies also seem to be more prone to rusting than the 83-86 models.

I have seen a good 1/2 dozen of these wagons with more than 500,000 km on the odometer, and they were all still going strong!

1985 Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD Wagon 1.5 from North America

Summary:

Faults:

My 1985 Tercel 4wd has the original engine, the original transmission, the original paint (still shiny) and the original interior (plaid cloth).

General Comments:

The Tercel wagon set 2 standards when introduced. The design became a model for later concepts still developed today, including Volvo and Honda SUVs. The 4wd off-road capability (which was fairly rare in a wagon style at that time), coupled with phenomenal reliability, made this wagon invincible.

In my particular case, the vehicle has been kept immaculate. There is absolutely no rust. The interior looks just like when it first rolled out of the dealer. To date, everything works, including all interior and exterior lights. At 94000 miles, the car has needed only regular maintenance services. The original struts are still in place with several other Japanese parts.

1985 Toyota Tercel 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Reliable, cheap, and perfect for a kid on a budget

Faults:

The Car ran great while I was in college. However, the car hated the cold, and needed to be jumped during the winter. Also the interior didn't survive its former life in Nevada, and was shot when I got it.

General Comments:

It was cheap. Perfect for a college student. It was reliable as well. The car also became the subject of lore at my college. We called it the danger kart.

1985 Toyota Tercel SR-5 4-WD Wagon 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Happy, Fun and cheap to drive

Faults:

The timing belt broke at 164,000 while I was driving 70 MPH down the Freeway. It is a non interference engine. So I was lucky. 15.00 for a new belt and 20 bucks for my mechanic friend and I was back on the road.

General Comments:

I have owned 5 of these Tercels. Every time I sold one I kicked myself. I am keeping this one. It has a factory electric sunroof and is in very good shape. If you can find one of these with under 200,000 on it. And its in reasonable shape. Go for it. You can park them anywhere, because they are narrow. They go very well in the snow. I had mine down at the Ocean and was on the sand playing with the 50-60,000 dollar rigs. They couldnt believe it. Right now this is my primary car. But if you can find a good one and have the room. This is a wonderful backup car. Just be careful. Once you drive one. You may be hooked. The first ride is for free. LOL.

7th Mar 2011, 19:30

What happened when your timing belt went out? My 87 Toyota Tercel SR5 wagon suddenly lost power so I pulled over. It made no noise when it lost power. I tried to start it and it made no attempt or sound. I had it towed to a shop who said it was the timing belt that broke. I left it there, then he called me to see if I wanted him to start it. After talking to him I said OK. He called back and said it made all kinds of loud noise and the piston probably went through the ? (can't remember). He expected me to just leave it there, but I had it towed home. Now my son, in the process of parting it out, saw that the timing belt is not broken.